How many US Supreme Court justices have served in the Court's history?

Answer 1

As of Elena Kagan's confirmation on August 5, 2010, there have been a total of 112 justices since the court first convened in February 1790. Of those, 17 have been Chief Justices, and 95 have been Associate Justices.

For a list of all past and current Justices, see Related Links, below.

Answer 2

10.

When Congress passed the Tenth Circuit Act of 1863 to establish an independent Circuit for California and Oregon, they decided the distance and travel difficulties necessitated adding a tenth justice to the Supreme Court who would live in California or Oregon and only travel to Washington by choice (for which he was paid an additional stipend of $1,000/year).

President Lincoln nominated Stephen Johnson Field*, who had served as Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court from 1859 until 1863.

The Court sat only once, in December 1863, with the full complement of ten justices (due to illness and death) before the Act was repealed by the Judicial Circuits Act of 1866, which realigned the Circuits and required gradual reduction, by attrition, of Supreme Court seats from ten to seven.

Although the Act was intended (in part) to make the federal court system operate more efficiently, a second, and perhaps more important, reason for the timing behind its passage was Congress' desire to prevent Andrew Johnson, who ascended to the Presidency after President Lincoln's assassination, from seating any justices on the Court. Congress succeeded in thwarting him.

After Johnson left office, Congress again increased the number of justices from seven to nine by passing the Judiciary Act of 1869. The current Supreme Court size was determined by this Act, and the number of seats has remained the same ever since.

Ten US Supreme Court Justice 1863-1865

Chief Justice

Roger B. Taney

Associate Justices

James Moore Wayne

John Catron

Samuel Nelson

Robert Cooper Grier

Nathan Clifford

Noah Haynes Swayne

Samuel Freeman Miller

David Davis

Stephen Johnson Field*

For more information, see Related Questions, below.

Answer 3

Congress set the size of the original Supreme Court at six in the Judiciary Act of 1789. The legislation provided for one Chief Justice and five Associate Justices.

The original Justices were:

Chief Justice:

John Jay, New York

Associate Justices:

John Rutledge, South Carolina

William Cushing, Massachusetts

James Wilson, Pennsylvania

John Blair, Virginia

James Iredell, North Carolina

(According to the Judiciary Act of 1789, 5 were allocated)

Answer 4

Answer

Six justices (one Chief Justice and five Associate Justices) were appointed in September 1789, and convened for the first time at the Royal Exchange Building in New York City on February 2, 1790.

Explanation

The first bill enacted in the U.S. Congress was the Judiciary Act of 1789, legislation that established the federal court system, including the US Supreme Court. The Act called for a total of six members, a Chief Justice and five Associate Justices, who were officially headquartered in the nation's capitol.

President Washington nominated the first six justices, and the Senate confirmed his nominations within a few days, in September 1789.

The first Court was supposed to assemble at the Royal Exchange Building in New York City (the temporary U.S. Capital from 1783-1790) on February 1, 1790, but transportation problems delayed the initial meeting by one day, so the first session actually began on February 2, 1790.

Chief Justice:

John Jay, New York

Associate Justices:

John Rutledge, South Carolina

William Cushing, Massachusetts

James Wilson, Pennsylvania

John Blair, Virginia

James Iredell, North Carolina

Answer 5

In 1869, Congress raised the number of justices to nine, where it has stood ever since.

Answer 6

9 ( 1 chief justice;8 associate justices)

Answer 7

14

Answer 8

11

Answer 9

12

Answer 10

9